UK companies welcomed to join expo

By Sun Wei in London Source:Global Times Published: 2018/3/14 22:58:43

Yu Yuantang, deputy director general of the Department of European Affairs at China's Ministry of Commerce, signs a memorandum of understanding with Matthew Rous, chief executive of the China-Britain Business Council, at the 6th Annual China Business Conference on Wednesday in London. Photo: Sun Wei/GT

UK companies are welcome to participate in the China International Import Expo (CIIE) that will be held in Shanghai in November, according to a senior trade official from the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) on Wednesday.

Yu Yuantang, deputy director general of the Department of European Affairs at MOFCOM, issued the invitation at the 6th Annual China Business Conference held at the QEII Conference Centre in London.

Lord Sassoon, chairman of the China Britain Business Council, said it was worthy of consideration by all UK companies.

"China has passed through some important milestones such as accession to the WTO in 2001 and outbound investment passing inbound investment in 2016. This expo could prove to be a similarly important juncture in China's development," he said.

Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Ambassador to the UK, said the expo would be "open to all the British companies that are ready to contribute to a 'global Britain' as well as to gain a better understanding of a more open China."

The program of China Business Conference this year focused on "China and the UK: A Relationship for the New Era," and built its agenda around the scene set by the 19th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, which called for a "prosperous, strong, democratic, culturally advanced, harmonious and beautiful" country by the middle of this century.

Topics at the conference included the Belt and Road initiative, future cities, government relations and selling services in China.

Attendees at the meeting included HSBC, Bank of China London, the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, and Alibaba Cloud International.